The St. Johns herald., 1887-11-03
Talk with a Texas Cattleman about
 RefrigeratOrS.


 ral way about the cattle business and the prospect of improving it. He said that it was greatly to the detriment of cattlemen in the eyes of the financial world that they have done nothing to hold their business together, and that they should ask themselves what can be done to obtain relief from the grasp of the dressed beef monopoly. Nothing will aid them in the ac- complishment of this end so much as the establishment of refrigera-- tors and packeries on the ranges.
 Mir. Pryor, who has made a care full investigation and study of the business not only in Texas, but also of the workings of the Chicago monopoly, and who has facts and figures at his fingers ends, then went into a statement of the Ar mour concern. The syndicate owns 400 freight cars of the refrigerator pattern which are in constant use. The house has regularly organ ized freight department with su- perintendent and fifteen clerks. Ac- curate record is kept of the time occupied in loading, with the date, to the hour and minute, of depar- ture as we'll as arrival at destina- ton. Any delay of schedule time is promptly reported and the delin- quent road at once called upon for an explanation. With such thor ough system, backed by unlimited capital and controlled by seeminglp unconscionable parties, what, MT. Pryor asks, can we expect if we continue to place ourselves at their mercy? If they are not check mated they will soon control every cattle owner in the country. But even in the face of these discoura- ging odds cattlemen should not fear to engage in the war for their rights. It will not be single-handed fight between the producer and the mo- nopolist, for when a start is made toward asserting the independence of the cattlemen other enterprises of like nature with that of the refrigerator will come to their re- lief.
 Continuing to rattle off at a ra- pid rate facts and figures; Mir. Pryor called attention to the fact that cat tie do not increase in the same ratio with Ethe increase of population. Twenty years ago there were S36 head of cattle to every ,000 inhab- itants; now there are only 775 to- every 1000 population. The United States agriculture department gives the cattle loss during the past win ter at 2,086,030, and yet in the face of all this cattle have declined 20 per cent within the past twelve months.
 But how can we expect to improve our condition when we are abso- lutely at the mercy of a soulless ring? Had the loss been twice as great the price would not be bit higher, for cattle are sold at just what the naonopolists choose to give. The magnitude of the Chi cago market Is illustrated by the following figures: Within the past twenty-one years the total receipts at the stock yards were 22,195,070 head of cattle, and the total ship ments out of the yards were 13,- 056,164 head. To show how the dressed beef business has grown within these twenty-one years let us go more fully into details. The re- ceipts for the ten years commence ing with 1866, ending, 1875, were 5,735,147; the shipments for the same period were 4,175,312-leav- ing in Chicago 1,559, 9,835-very lit tie more than enough for local con- sumption. The receipts for the next six years, beginning in 1876 and running up to 1882, were 7.309,723; shipments for the same period 4,751 ,463-leaving a balance in Chicago of 2,558,26O. For the last five years, from 1882 to 1887, the receipts were 9,148,589; ship q | 4 1